While some players might feel awkward with Requiem's new direction,
I find this to be more of a knee-jerk reaction to the new "edition" that emerges
rather than any weakness of the products themselves.

The material finally lets go of the Masquerade-only-weaker recipe and shines on its own merit. This book is essential as the line will make use of the rules detailed here in the future and, again, finally lets go of Thaumaturgy conversions instead going for true Sacraments and Blasphemies!

I can't recommend this book enough. I bought the PDF and soon I'll be placing an order for a printed book as well. Can't wait!

With the Circle of the Crone being my favorite Covenant, I was happy to see the new Theme based system for blood magic that gives much more flexibility with rituals. Only thing I found disappointing is the new system no longer allows the use of Spirit Cruac rituals that appeared in the Circle of Crone book. For STs who don't usually play or run Mage: Awakening, but want human magic user NPCs in their Requiem game or other genre, the new system in Blood Sorcery can work well as an alternative magic system for Thaumaturges and Mages.

Blood Sorcery lures us back to the beginning of Vampire the Requiem and takes a long look at one of the most interesting aspects of the game. While blood sorcery has always been “good” it was probably not as well developed as it could have been in hindsight. The Storytelling system has matured and now Requiem is benefiting from years of experience with a revamp of blood sorcery, an alternative approach to the system and a plethora of interesting additions to your chronicles. Coming in at just under 70 pages of content this is one of the best new books available to fans of Vampire the Requiem.

Chapter One: Rites of Damnation takes Cruac and Theban Sorcery back to the drawing board and rebuilds it from the ground up. Characters purchase dots in Cruac or Theban Sorcery as normal (as long as the appropriate covenant Status ratings are in place). Instead of purchasing individual rituals (the old system) the character learns rites or miracles through Themes. The Themes (Creation, Divination, Destruction, Protection and Transmutation) are rated from one to five dots. Purchasing dots in Cruac/Theban Sorcery provides a certain number of Theme dots. Theme dots can also be purchased independently.

Much like Mage’s Arcana the system is very versatile in effect but it does have its limitations. Blood sorcerers cannot summon fire or sunlight. Nor can they permanently overcome the weaknesses of the vampiric existence. Blood sorcery also does not provide access into other realms. I think these limitations are important because they further differentiate between the capabilities of the blood sorcerers and the Awakened. They also anchor blood sorcerers as part of the vampire experience. No matter how powerful they become they cannot escape their nature… at least not for very long.

The Circle of the Crone and the Lancea Sanctum are the big dogs when it comes to blood sorcery and they expend a lot of time and effort making sure that remains the status quo. Blood Sorcery does not openly challenge that premise but the tools do exist in the book to develop sorcerous traditions outside of those covenants. I liked that I could easily take this system and build something new and unique from it with very little effort.

Chapter Two: Threnodies introduces an alternative to ritual sorcery in the form of extraordinary effects invoked through song and incredible sacrifice. While the effects of Threnodies can be extremely potent I feel like they are well balanced by the sacrifice which must always be painful. Whether this pain is physical, emotional or psychological the vampire is going to lose something important. Throughout each installment of Boon & Kitty (the short story parsed throughout the book) we find Boon appearing with fewer and fewer fingers over the years and they are not regenerating. He would consider himself lucky that is all he has lost.

Threnodies are tied to Disciplines. Thematically if using a Discipline is a controlled interaction with the Beast then a Threnody is a more violent interaction which can result in something horrible if the Beast gets out of control. This happens whenever the character fails the die roll to invoke the Threnody. Heaven help the character who rolls a dramatic failure but then again that is when things get the most interesting, isn’t it? The repercussions can be quite dramatic although my personal favorite is when the Beast is let loose. No, the Beast is not in control it is literally let loose to run free as an independent entity. Is that a blessing or a curse? I don’t know but I think it makes for a great story.

Chapter Three: Antagonists is a collection of occult-oriented antagonists to add flavor to your chronicles. These characters, organizations and locales are great foils for blood sorcerers or those looking to dabble in the bloody occult (or hire others to do it for them).

The Onyx Path continues to take the World of Darkness in new and interesting directions and Blood Sorcery is a great addition to Vampire the Requiem. The new blood sorcery system is a welcome improvement and Threnodies are going to see a lot of game play because I think you will like them as much as I do. The antagonists section of this book is a gold mine. Enjoy.

Whilst Blood Sorcery might be a great book for some, it wasn't for me.

Throughout the reviews there seems to be this comparison to V:tM or Mage.

Whilst these comparisons are true I think that this theme detracts from both Crúac and Theban.
They becomes two sides of the same coin, as opposed to fundamentally different things.

As opposed to further exploring the background of both White Wolf has decided to create different rule sets for both.
Honestly this wasn't the book I was looking for.

Threnodies would have been an alright theme if it didn't seem like it was stepping on the toes of Crúac all the time.

The Antagonists were good.
Art was excellent however would have done with some more for the Lancea Sanctum. Too much blood sacrifice not enough prayer. (Again, blurring the line between the two sorcery themes.

A very high-quality offering that really adds hugely to Lancea and Crone games, with excellent design values throughout. A flexible, but flavourful system for ritual magic, the excellent but terrifying threnodies, and some truly great antagonists make for a well-rounded volume.

However, I do feel it is a little short, even for its low cost. Another few pages of example rituals, and some rules for mystical objects and artefacts would really have given this the shine it deserves. As such, it is a great book, but not a truly fantastic one.

If the Circle of the Crone or Lancea Sanctum play any role in your chronicle this book will prove itself invaluable. These new mechanics for blood sorcery are much more versatile than the original without abandoning the essence of the vampiric existence. The system can also be easily adapted to traditions of your own design.

As an alternative to blood sorcery, Threnodies are special effects vampire can invoke by drawing deeper on the Beast using song (or chants, poetry, rhythmic music) and committing a sacrifice. These effects are derived from Disciplines and they can be quite potent but they are also very dangerous. If the character performing the Threnody somehow fails to do so correctly (by failing or dramatically failing the roll) the negative results can be disastrous and varied. My particular favorite result is the vampire loses control of the Beast. No, not frenzy. The Beast actually flees the vampire's body and runs rampant.

If your troupe is looking to get more out of blood sorcery this is a great book for you.

“The requirements for becoming a blood sorcerer are unchanged from Vampire: The Requiem, but they are reproduced here for clarity.” ....and this sets the tone of the book.

This is an excellent, quick reference book for Blood magic that will assist with character creation (and development) and Storyline development.

The similarities in some magic is explained and this not only ends some confusion, but gives a brilliant supposition regarding story lines... an example given “Lithopedia” and “Gilded Cage”, both originating in Europe, use a Motif of Territory for their rituals...think of the addition to a storyline that can be had if the respective bloodlines are confused?

The prologue is a little abstract at first, but then becomes obvious as a story direction. I give this book 5 dots!

This book is a must have for games that really delve into the Crone and Lancea, and offers players a deeper magic experience. Now of course there is some talk that this book steps on the toes of Mage, but really it just takes what Mage does well, and gives back to Vampire a more dirty, street, improvised magic.

Blood Sorcery is the newest supplement for the New World of Darkness’ Vampire: The Requiem. Of course there are rules for blood sorcery in the core V:TR rulebook, so it’s not as if you’re getting a new facet of the game with this book. It also means if you’re low on disposable income, you can get by just fine without it. That said, Blood Sorcery is a well written supplement that guarantees to enhance the entire premise and use of blood sorcery in your chronicle. So if you have PCs that use either Theban or Cruac sorcery, this book can give them an entirely new dimension for their art…as well as an entirely new way to use it mechanics-wise. All in all, Blood Sorcery is one of the best Vampire: The Requiem supplements I’ve ever read; let’s see why.

Blood Sorcery consists of three different chapters interspersed by five short pieces of fiction that revolve around the vampires Boon and Kitty. These five pieces cover a span of seventy-one years and not only showcase the sad and pathetic lives of these two Kindred, but also the art of blood sorcery itself. The fiction is well done. Usually I don’t care for the fiction in V:TR (or New World of Darkness in general), but this was especially good. The caveat is that unless you’re quite familiar with V:TR, you’ll probably get lost on both the nuances and details alike, but for those who enjoy the NWoD, you’re in for a treat here. Things end about as one would imagine (It’s White Wolf fiction about vampires after all…), but the fiction here is as good as the actual mechanics and that’s a rare thing for any system.

The first chapter, “Rites of Damnation,” is all about reinventing how the Storyteller and his troupe use blood sorcery in their chronicle. You are given an entirely new set of rules for how to build a character that uses either path of blood sorcery, but also how to use it in terms of mechanics and rolls of the dice. This is an entirely optional system and it does not replace the original rules for blood sorcery unless you, the Storyteller want them to. If you like the rules in the core V:TR book and don’t want to rock the boat…don’t use them! Even then, you’ll still find some great things of use in this supplement.

So what are the new Blood Sorcery rules? Well, honestly, after re-reading the book twice, I feel like things are more like Thaumaturgy from Vampire: The Masquerade, and to me that’s a good thing. I’m not saying blood sorcerers in V:TR are going to begin to resemble the Tremere from Vampire: The Masquerade, but rather that the new blood sorcery is more flexible in terms of what you can do with it and how a character builds it up. It’s very customizable and the end result is a combination of the old V:TM discipline and rituals that remind me of something straight out of Mage: The Ascension. The requirements to become a blood sorcerer (or -ess) are unchanged. The core change is that now, instead of purchasing rituals with experience points via the dots in Disciplines, they now learn rituals and rites through common “themes,” which are basically Thaumaturgy paths. If you have dots in more than one path, you can combine two (or more) to make a whole new ritual. Say a vampire has dots in both the creation and destruction path. They can use the power of both “themes” to create a ritual that transfers blood from another Kindred into his or herself. Half the book alone is devoted to this new way of playing blood sorcery, so expect an in-depth and detailed look at this process.

Chapter Two is “Threnodies.” Unlike the rituals of Chapter One, a Threnody is one part sacrifice and one part song. Now the song could be a mantra, a poem, literally singing, or something else, but it is required. Threnodies also specifically channel the Beast, making them far more dangerous to perform. The sacrifice part can also be pretty harsh (especially Animalism’s. Ouch) and these two factors combined will probably keep most PCs from performing them. For the more inhumane and sadistic Kindred though, this is definitely something to check out. Threnodies are died to specific disciplines rather than the “themes” in Chapter One. Be warned that this chapter is pretty intense. At times I felt like I was reading an old Black Dog V:TM publication in this chapter. It’s all really good stuff, but the power of the threnodies comes with a price tag only a few will be willing to pay.

The final chapter, and my personal favorite, is “Antagonists.” There’s a lot of great potential NPCs and/or enemies here. The backgrounds for each are incredibly well done and I’d have recommended Blood Sorcery just for this chapter alone. It’s that good. Inside you’ll find The Sons of Phobos, the exceptionally creepy Empty Liars, the Prince of Riots, Mister Fixer, The Prophet of the Eyeless Face, the Wild Priest, and The Ash That Devours. All of them are especially fun to read about. I think the most fun to add to a chronicle would be The Prophet of the Eyeless Face as it could fit in anywhere, remain extra creepy no matter what and gives the PCs a real enigma to deal with. The Ash That Devours is almost something out of Call of Cthulhu or the Crimson Death from Forgotten Realms and could be a great creature to base an adventure around. There’s so much an enterprising Storyteller can do with just this chapter.

All in all, as I said at the beginning of this review, Blood Sorcery is one of the best Vampire: The Requiem supplements I’ve ever read. It’s high quality from cover to cover and it’s well worth picking up even if you’re a casual fan of the New World of Darkness. If you have the disposable income to spend, then definitely head on over to DriveThruRPG and pick this up. You won’t be sorry.

Blood Sorcery is probably one of the most innovative rule supplements for Requiem to come out in years. This supplement provides rules for turning blood sorcery into a flexible magic system for Requiem. It is written by what I consider to be some of the best talents of White Wolf publishing, Dave Brookshaw and David Hill, to name just a couple. The gem of this book is Chapter 2: Threnodies. This chapter is absolutely genius. It has taken some of Requiems most iconic images, such as the vampire's Beast, and given it teeth (literally). Think blood sorcery ritual merits to boost up vampire Disciplines with sacrificial and somatic components. If this book is any indication of what's up ahead for Vampire: the Requiem in its forthcoming re-design and update (The Strix Chronicles) then Im sold. From a purely aesthetic standpoint the book is beautifully illustrated, the artwork is stunning, full color and with production values I come to expect from White Wolf.